Thrill

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The expression thrill , which is widespread in everyday language and in various specialist languages such as sport , behavioral biology or experiential education , describes the stimulation of a person's nervous state.

term

The Duden defines the term as "(associated with pleasant feelings) excitation of the nerves through the dangerousness, tension of a situation" . This interpretation of the term is imprecise and scientifically not tenable with its brackets. It assumes an immediate amalgamation of the dangerousness of the situation and a feeling of happiness and thus a masochistic attitude. Psychologically, however, it is a sequence of stimulus and response; H. a trigger in the form of irritation of the nerves due to the extreme danger and a consequential effect on the feelings after the danger has been overcome. The immediate experience of danger, which can also be a near-death experience and sometimes leads to the limits of physical and psychological resilience, is not associated with pleasant, but on the contrary initially with feelings of discomfort such as fear, disgust or horror. Only then does it turn into a happy emotional experience as a result of this highly unpleasant but successfully overcome phase. This ambivalent, contradicting phenomenon is called fear-pleasure in psychology .

Neurological, biosocial and biochemical aspects

The central nervous system needs stimulus mechanisms in order to be able to work optimally. In the case of a thrill, a dangerous, in extreme cases life-threatening threat forms the stimulus that demands the nervous mastery of the situation to the utmost. The tolerable dose of nervous resilience depends on the nature and risk experience of the individual risk taker . It can range from the relatively harmless ride on the roller coaster in a TÜV-certified amusement park to shark diving in a protective suit or base jumping from a skyscraper to a car race that can only be survived by a fortunate fate and accordingly contain different objective risks.

Base jumping from a skyscraper in Shanghai

In a highly exciting wagon act , biochemical processes take place at the same time, which combine the psychological with a physical experience and thus shape it into a holistic experience. It is triggered by so-called neurotransmitters , which are also referred to as happiness hormones in sports circles . The body's own substances such as dopamine , noradrenaline , serotonin or endorphins can be released during this high level of nerve stress and result in intense moments of happiness on the emotional level, which is intended by the pursuit of thrills.

The phenomenon of nerve tickling, which remains in the value-neutral area on a scientific level , is also considered from an ethical point of view in the humanities analysis .

Psychological and educational importance

The need for a controlled intensification of stimuli for learning processes and personal development as well as the importance of tension and adventure for creating a positive attitude towards life in children and young people are now undisputed in educational terms.

The justification arises from the systematic observations of the natural learning processes and the didactic conclusions: An individually tailored stimulus level promotes learning success, as can be seen from the Yerkes-Dodson stimulus laws .

Social relevance

The need of broad sections of the population for adventurous activities that excite and revive emotions is not a new phenomenon of our time.

For several decades, however, observers of the venture scenes have registered an increasing trend towards particularly dangerous extreme sports such as free solo climbing or base jumping, as well as life-threatening games such as balconing or S-Bahn surfing . The media sometimes speak of a “game with death”.

Research recognizes the lack of stimuli and the tedious monotony of everyday life and work and the resulting need for activities that increase emotions, but also the evolutionary striving to test personal performance limits as motives for this .

The sometimes exaggerated striving for stimulus intensification, which goes to the limit of addiction, and the occupation with games of chance and killer games , which often takes up the entire free time, are already criticized among children and adolescents. The thrill is an important factor in gambling addiction . The appeal of the game is so great that even with large losses, the player continues to feel it.

Offers of experiential learning in leisure and teacher training as well as a built-in risk education but modified physical education also meet the need of a reflected dealing with the natural need for stimulation optimization increasingly bill.

In the commercial sector, there has been a boom in the range of high ropes courses , adventure playgrounds , climbing halls and corresponding supervised events with a certain proportion of risky, self-reliant opportunities to experience in recent years . They established themselves as a counter-movement to the amusement parks, which are more passive and externally determined .

literature

  • Michael Apter: In the intoxication of danger. Why more and more people are looking for the thrill , Munich 1994
  • David Le Breton: Pleasure at Risk , Frankfurt 1995
  • N. Gissel / J. Schwier (Ed.): Adventure, experience and risk. Perspectives for sport in schools and clubs . Hamburg 2003
  • A. Huber: Life as a thriller. Thrill or hit or miss? In: Psychologie heute 6 (1994) pp. 64–69
  • JR Krauss: The adventure playground. Planning, foundation, educational work . Munich 2003
  • HW Krohne: Fear and coping with fear . Stuttgart 1996
  • Th. Lang: Children need adventure . Munich 2006
  • B. Runtsch (Red.): Adventure - a path to youth? Frankfurt 1993
  • Gert Semler: The pleasure of fear. Why people voluntarily expose themselves to extreme risks , Munich 1994
  • Sacha-Roger Szabo: Intoxication and hype. Attractions at fairs and amusement parks. A sociological cultural history . Transcript. Bielefeld 2006
  • Siegbert A. Warwitz: Sensation addiction or search for meaning . In: Ders .: Search for meaning in risk. Life in growing rings. Attempts to explain cross-border behavior . 2nd edition, Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 296–308.
  • Siegbert A. Warwitz: When pain and happiness alternate. The fear-pleasure theory . In: Ders .: Search for meaning in risk. Life in growing rings. Attempts to explain cross-border behavior , 2nd edition, Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 142–167.
  • Siegbert A. Warwitz: Why people face dangerous challenges . In: DAV (Ed.): Berg 2006 . Munich-Innsbruck-Bozen, pp. 96-111.
  • Josef Zehentbauer: The body's own drugs. The unused capabilities of our brain . Patmos Verlag 2003, ISBN 3-491-69410-8 .
  • Marvin Zuckerman: Behavioral Expressions and Biosocial Bases of Sensation Seeking . Cambridge 1994.

Web links

Wiktionary: thrill  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Single receipts

  1. ↑ Nervenkitzel , in duden.de, accessed on May 25, 2016.
  2. ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz: When woe and bliss alternate. The fear-pleasure theory . In: Ders .: Search for meaning in risk. Life in growing rings. Attempts at explaining behavior across borders , 2nd edition, Baltmannsweiler 2016. pp. 142–167.
  3. ↑ a b Gert Semler: The pleasure of fear. Why people voluntarily expose themselves to extreme risks . Munich 1994.
  4. ^ HW Krohne: Anxiety and coping with fear . Stuttgart 1996.
  5. ^ Marvin Zuckerman: Behavioral Expressions and Biosocial Bases of Sensation Seeking . Cambridge 1994.
  6. ^ Josef Zehentbauer: The body's own drugs. The unused capabilities of our brain . Patmos Verlag 2003.
  7. ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz: sensational addiction or search for meaning. Thrill or skill . In: Ders .: Search for meaning in risk. Life in growing rings. Attempts to explain cross-border behavior . 2., ext. Ed., Verlag Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 296–308.
  8. ^ Th. Lang: Children need adventure . Munich 2006
  9. ↑ B. Runtsch (Red.): Adventure - a path to youth  ? Frankfurt 1993.
  10. ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz: How children dare to gain life . In: Ders .: Search for meaning in risk. Life in growing rings. Attempts to explain cross-border behavior . 2., ext. Ed., Verlag Schneider, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 1–12.
  11. ^ A b Sacha-Roger Szabo: Rausch und Rummel. Attractions at fairs and amusement parks. A sociological cultural history . Transcript, Bielefeld 2006.
  12. ↑ Michael Apter: In the intoxication of danger. Why more and more people are looking for the thrill . Munich 1994
  13. ↑ David Le Breton: Pleasure at Risk . Frankfurt 1995.
  14. ↑ Siegbert A. Warwitz: Why people face dangerous challenges . In: DAV (Ed.): Berg 2006 . Munich-Innsbruck-Bozen. Pages 96-111.
  15. ↑ A. Huber: Life as a thriller. Thrill or hit or miss ? In: Psychologie heute 6 (1994) pp. 64–69.
  16. ↑ N. Gissel, J. Schwier (Ed.): Adventure, experience and risk. Perspectives for sport in schools and clubs . Hamburg 2003.